Snippets from Previous Meetings
FOR SALE
Sheryl has for sale a range of equipment, including a tangerine iBook, and also a variety of software. Contact her if interested:
NEW MODELS
Sheryl and Kim gave us some information on the newly-announced Apple G5 PowerMac computers, which are extremely fast and powerful, although probably aimed at professional users rather than at the average home user Ð see Apple's website for details. A new web-camera, named iSight, was also announced.Sheryl pointed out that, as is often the case when new models are announced, there is likely to be some reduction in the prices of existing models Ð watch out for specials!
ADVERTISING AMUG
Tony reported that he had made arrangements for AMUG to be listed in the User Group sections of both NZ MacGuide magazine and on the NZMac.com website (see: www.nzmac.com Ð note that as from 1 July this website also includes the NZ MacGuide magazine Ð worth a visit).
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
A query on formatting in Microsoft Word documents led to a look at how to text wrap around graphic objects:when a Word Art object has been inserted, click on the object to select it, then choose Text Wrapping from the Edit Text box which appears.
SESSIONS
GERALDINE WORKSHOP SLIDESHOW
AUGC had kindly sent a CD of photos taken at the Geraldine Workshop Day, and these were viewed as an iPhoto slideshow.
PRINT TO P.D.F.
Members may remember that Sheryl introduced us to this useful shareware application at the beginning of last year. Print to PDF changes files into Portable Document Format, which have the advantage of being able be read on any computer (Mac or Windows) which has either Acrobat Reader or GhostScript installed. It is easy to use, being accessed through the Chooser, and saves the file as a PDF to a chosen location. Print to PDF is a fairly small file (672Kb... takes about 2 minutes to download) and may be obtained from either its writer's website: www.jwwalker.com or from Mactropolis (Utilities folder).
Elizabeth gave a demonstration of how she uses Print to PDF to enable her to share family history files with other family members who use PCs; the PDF format overcomes the cross-platform difficulty which otherwise might arise with documents which contain both text and images. One caution: it may be necessary to check that a reasonably recent version of Acrobat Reader is used by recipients, as older versions do not allow editing.
Note: MacOS X users do not need to use Print to PDF, as 'Save as PDF' is an available option in the AppleWorks 6 Print menu.
MacBASICS: SYSTEM PREFERENCES
Sheryl gave an overview of the contents of the MacOS X System Preferences panels, in which the user configures the computer according to personal preferences. System Preferences perform the same type of tasks as the Control Panels in previous operating systems, but are conveniently grouped according to function, and are readily available under the Apple Menu.
Sheryl pointed out that although the user configures the computer on initial start-up after purchasing by telling it in which country it is being used, this does not set certain Preferences panels which require country information, such as the panels within the Date & Time and International preferences, so these need to be configured separately.
AUDIO RECORDING
Some time ago we looked at importing sound from audio cassettes into the computer, and some members wanted to revisit this, so Tony led a session on how to connect a cassette recorder and convert an analogue audio recording into a digital one on the computer.
- Hardware Setup: Use an audio cable with appropriate small jack-plugs on each end to connect the output socket (usually 'headphones') with the audio-in (extension microphone) port on the computer. Note that this can't be done on iBooks, which unfortunately don't have this port.
- Software Setup: Configure the computer by setting the Sound System Preferences (or Control Panel in Mac OS 8 or 9) to Sound Input: Line in/External microphone. Note that working in Mac OS 9 (be restarting, not in Classic) and selecting Play Through in the Sound Control Panel enables the recorded sound to be heard while importing Ð which can be a great advantage!
REMINDER
Next AMUG Evening meeting will be on Friday 25 July
Next AMUG Daytime Meeting No arrangement as yet
[Committee Meeting on Mactropolis: Tuesday 15July at 9:00pm - To be confirmed
Regards to all.....
Tony Climo
Secretary, Aoraki MacIntosh Users Group